DSS 2010-2011

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Recent Speakers

SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 3, 2010

The Cost of Freedom Tribute

CSU-Pueblo also will host the Cost of Freedom tribute, featuring
the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall. The American Veterans Traveling
Tribute is a group of veteran owners who are a committed to travel the
nation to honor, respect, and remember those who served s well as pay
specific tribute to those who gave all. The display insures that those
who cannot travel to Washington, D.C. have an opportunity to attend,
respect, and remember. The event is not government sponsored of
affiliated and serves to provide an opportunity for visitors to share a
common bond of experience and patriotic thanks.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2010

John Quiñones

7 p.m., Hoag Recital Hall

John Quiñones is the ABC anchor of What Would You Do?, co-anchor of Primetime, and a correspondent for 20/20. Winner of seven Emmy Awards, Quiñones has also been honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award's Grand Prize for International Reporting. Quiñones received a master's degree from the Columbia School of Journalism and makes his home in New York City.

OCTOBER 13, 2010

The Business Tao of Homer: Lessons in Creativity and Innovation From The Simpsons,

Joel Cohen, writer of hit series The Simpsons

7 p.m., OUC Ballroom

Joel H. Cohen earned his Master of Business Administration and found success in the corporate world before making a completely illogical career move into comedy writing. Luckily for him, it all worked out: he became an Emmy-winning writer for The Simpsons -- "the greatest TV show of the 20th century" (Time). Cohen's experience as both a "creative" and a "suit" has not only left him with a puzzling resume, it also gives him an unique perspective to discuss innovation, creativity, and their place in business. The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series in 1989, including 25 Primetime Emmy Awards, 26 Annie Awards, and a Peabody Award.

OCTOBER 25, 2010

Sherman AlexieNoon, Massari Arena

Sherman Joseph Alexie, Jr. is an American writer, poet, filmmaker, and occasional comedian. Much of his writing draws on his experiences as a Native American. Two of Alexie's best known works are The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven (1994), a book of short stories and Smoke Signals, a film. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, an autobiographical young adult novel, was his first major commercial success. His appearance on campus is thanks in part to the All Pueblo Reads series sponsored by the Pueblo City County Library District.

NOVEMBER 10, 2010

Betty Anne Waters7 p.m., OUC Ballroom

Betty Anne Waters was an unemployed single mother who spent a decade earning a law degree so she could represent her brother in court. Waters put herself through law school at Roger Williams University School of Law in Bristol, R.I., in order to represent her brother, Kenneth, who had been wrongfully convicted of murder. In 1999, with the help of attorney Barry Scheck and the Innocence Project, Betty Anne Waters asked for her brother's DNA to be tested against the old blood sample. The results came back: It didn't match. A film about her life, Conviction, will premiere this fall, starring Hilary Swank as Waters.

February 2, 2011

Chris Nowinski

7 p.m., OUC Ballroom

TITLE: Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis

His book, Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis and subsequent advocacy work forced the NFL to change how the game is played and how athletes are medically treated, and later his former employer, WWE, followed suit.

Chris Nowinski is best known as the former World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) professional wrestler who turned his legitimate background as an All-Ivy Harvard football player into one of the most entertaining and hated characters on television . He debuted on WWE's flagship program Monday Night RAW in 2002, when he was named "Newcomer of the Year" by RAW Magazine, and was the youngest male Hardcore Champion in WWE history before his career was ended in 2003 by a concussion. Diagnosed with a little understood disorder called post-concussion syndrome, Chris began a quest to better understand this condition. The information and story he uncovered has changed how concussions are treated in sports and beyond forever. His book, Head Games: Football’s Concussion Crisis and subsequent advocacy work forced the NFL to change how the game is played and how athletes are medically treated, and later his former employer, WWE, followed suit.

February 9, 2011

Ray Nagin

7 p.m., OUC Ballroom

TITLE: New Orleans Revival: Rainbow After the Storm

In this remarkably moving presentation, Mayor Ray Nagin shares the story of post-Katrina New Orleans and its recovery from disaster. A lyrical, engaging speaker, Nagin takes audiences on a front-row journey through the setbacks and triumphs that, five years after the hurricane, have made the city stronger than ever. Now a leader in green construction and innovative education, and one of the fastest-growing cities in America, New Orleans is a model of hope and progress. Emphasizing the importance of cooperation and civic engagement at all levels, Nagin demonstrates that it is possible to recover from disaster, and that there is a rainbow after every storm.

When Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, the devastation was unimaginable. Today, New Orleans is in the midst of a booming recovery, and one man in who has never waned in his commitment to the city's revitalization is Mayor C. Ray Nagin. Nagin, a two-term mayor, was elected on a platform of economic development, a commitment to attracting new business, and a plan to stamp out poverty. Determined to globalize New Orleans, Nagin set out to transform the city from just a tourist destination to a multifaceted “great place to do business.”

Within 30 days of the disaster, he developed the Bring New Orleans Back Commission, a master plan for the city’s revival. Today, New Orleans has the fastest growing population in America, is the focus of more green construction than any American city, has one of the nation’s lowest unemployment rates, and a thriving public education system. The story of New Orleans’ revival is not about one city or one leader, but the story of the American spirit and surmounting adversity.

February 16, 2011

Cheryl Brown and John Stokes

7p.m., OUC Ballroom

TITLE: Students on Strike

Cheryl is one of three daughters of the late Rev. Oliver L. Brown, who, along with 12 other parents led by the NAACP, filed suit against the local Board of Education on behalf of their children in the historic case, Oliver L. Brown et. al. vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, et. al. Upon appeal to the United States Supreme Court, the case became the lead among five other legal challenges; Oliver Brown died in 1961 before knowing the impact of this landmark US Supreme Court decision.

Cheryl has been a sixth grade teacher, university guest lecturer, school guidance counselor, state educational administrator and is currently President and CEO of The Brown Foundation. She has been a member of numerous professional and civic organizations, and presently serves on several local, state and national boards. She is past chair of Women Work, a national network that represented some 15 million women nationwide who were seeking career assistance and employment in non-traditional fields. Cheryl established The Brown Foundation in 1988 along with her co-worker, Jerry Jones. In 1990 the Foundation worked with the United States Congress to develop legislation, resulting in the establishment of the Brown v. Board of Education National Park. The Park opened in 2004 in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Brown decision. It is located in Topeka at the site of one of the four formerly segregated African American schools. This was also the elementary school attended by their mother, two of the Brown sisters, Linda and Terry, and the school at which Cheryl began her teaching career.

On April 23, 1951, John A. Stokes helped to organize, strategize, plan and lead a student strike for better conditions at Robert Russa Moton High School in Farmville, Virginia, a strike that made Stokes a plaintiff in the landmark civil rights case Brown v. Board of Education and helped change life in the US forever.

While serving as an educator in Baltimore, Stokes received many awards from the mayor, governor and others due to his ability to bring the inner city students' achievement levels far above the norm. Many of these students ended up becoming doctors, lawyers, teachers, and productive citizens.

March 2, 2011

Meghan McCain

7 p.m., Hoag Recital Hall

TITLE: Redefining Republican: No Labels. No Boxes. No Stereotypes.

In the year since we've started the NOH8 Campaign, we've often been surprised at some of the different individuals who have approached us showing their support. Few, though, have surprised us more than Cindy McCain - the wife of Senator John McCain and mother to vocal marriage equality advocate Meghan McCain. The McCains are one of the most well-known Republican families in recent history, and for Mrs. McCain to have reached out to us to offer her support truly means a lot. Although we had worked with Meghan McCain before and were aware of her own position, we'd never really thought the cause might be something her mother would get behind. We have a huge amount of respect for both of these women for being brave enough to make it known they support equal marriage rights for all Americans.

Meghan McCain came to prominence as the straight-talking, forward-thinking daughter of the 2008 Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain. And her profile has only risen since the election ended in favor of the other guy. As a new role model for young, creative, and vocal members of the GOP, she’s unafraid to mix it up and speak her mind. In Dirty Sexy Politics, she takes a hard look at the future of her party and gives us a true insider's account of life on a campaign trail. She steals campaign signs in New Hampshire, tastes the nightlife in Nashville, and has a strange encounter with Laura and Jenna Bush at the White House. Along the way, she falls in love with America—while seeing how far the Republican Party has veered from its core values of freedom, honesty, and individuality.

For more information or an updated schedule, contact the CSU-Pueblo Office of Student Life at 549.2586 or visit www.csupueblo.edu/studentactivities.